A very unfortunate title, but I'd recommend Gardening for Dummies, another in the series of "Dummies" books that are truly great basic resources for whatever topics they address and are ideal for the novice to the subject.

There are some very basic principles you should become familiar with right off the bat - soils, watering and light conditions. If one or more of these is not correct for the plants in question, failure and plant death can be swift :-( Soils in most new home construction (and in many existing lots as well) will be sorely deficient - either lacking in necessary plant nutrients, rocky, poorly draining or of heavy clay. In Texas, my bet is on mostly clay as caliche soils are very common there. Adding organic matter in the form of compost (your own or bagged) will hit several birds with one stone - it will loosen and lighten clay soils, it adds necessary nutrients and it improves drainage. Add 4-6 inches (more won't hurt) and work into the existing soil as deep as you can manage.

Watering new plants and those in hot climates is going to need to be a regular, perhaps even daily in summer, occurrence. Mulch will help but it won't substitute for regular deep watering. Avoid just lightly sprinkling or teasing the plants with water - water deeply so that it soaks well down into the root zone. More plants die from improper watering practices than for any other reason.

And finally make sure you are selecting plants that are suitable for that light exposure - sun loving plants in sun and shade loving plants in shade. Plants grown in full sun will often require more frequent watering than those grown in shade as water tends to evaporate faster in areas exposed to intense sunlight. The mulch will slow this process down. And if an organic mulch like compost or bark, it does not have to be removed before planting - just rake it aside and plant or work it into the soil. 4-6 inches is a bit deep and can smother plants if piled too closely around them. I'd go with about half that much - 2-3 inches of any good, readily available organic mulch.

Carol,

Contact your Denton County Extension Office and ask to speak to one of the Master Gardeners. I have a friend here in Rockport that used to belong to the MG's up in Denton County, but transferred her certification to Rockport. The MG's are very good at giving advice because they are knowledgeable of the local gardening conditions.